Magic Santa on Privet Drive
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Santa visits the Dursleys on Christmas day and insists on giving a present to a five-year-old Harry Potter. Completely AU, Severus very OOC, sick!Harry. Just a small fairy-tale for Christmas.


**Magic Santa on Privet Drive**

**~ by Healer Pomfrey ~  
**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

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* * *

With a quiet "Alohomora," a tall Santa like figure opened the entrance door to the Dursleys' residence. He stepped into the living room, where Dudley Dursley was just unpacking his twenty-second present.

"Merry Christmas," Santa said, holding out a small present to the boy, before he curiously looked around. If he didn't know exactly to whom he had to deliver his presents, he would have began to wonder if he was in the wrong house, since there was no sign that a small wizard was living in the house as well. "As far as my angels informed me, there is another boy living in this house. Where is he?" he queried, raising an eyebrow at the woman.

"Another boy?" she asked in apparent shock.

"Yes, one Harry Potter is supposed to be residing here as well," he said firmly.

"Ah, you mean the freak!" Dudley blurted out. "It's all right, sir. He doesn't get any presents because he's not a good boy, but you can give it to me." He reached out for the present that Santa had pulled out of his huge sack and was now holding in his left hand.

"No no no!" Santa replied in a firm voice. "I wish to see Harry Potter. This present is meant for him and not for other greedy boys."

"Yes Santa, I'm sorry, sir," Petunia replied quickly and hurried to lead the tall figure to the small cupboard under the stairs, feverishly thinking about an explanation as to why her nephew was stuck in his cupboard on Christmas morning. "My nephew is sick, sir," she said, just when Santa opened the door, which was supposed to be locked, with a flick of his hand.

The red robed person entered the cupboard, finding a small figure curled up on an old mattress. However, upon seeing him, the child struggled to sit up and bowed deeply. "Santa," the boy croaked in a hoarse and apparently terrified voice, "I'm so sorry for being such a bad boy. I know that you won't bring me a present, and I will endure every punishment you choose for me. But please..." The boy's pleading monologue ended when he had to let out a few harsh coughs.

Santa noticed that the boy's breathing was laboured and that his beautiful green eyes were feverishly glazed over and surrounded by dark rings. "Mrs. Dursley, what does this mean? Why does your nephew believe that he is not worth a present? And what have you done to ease his ailments? He is very ill."

"Santa, I have to believe that it's his high fever speaking. He must be delirious. He should know that he always receives more presents that my sweet Dudley," Petunia said in a sweet voice."

"I'm fine," Harry muttered, "and I've never received a present, because I'm a freak and a burden to all the good people."

Santa pulled a Star Wars laser sword out of the pocket of his long robes and waved it at the child, causing a small parchment to appear from the tip of the sword. The tall man gasped inwardly and turned to Petunia.

"I will take this child away from you because of neglect and abuse. You're not worth of being the guardian to this sweet boy." To Harry he said in a soft, baritone voice, "Don't be afraid, little one. I'm going to take you with me. You're a very good boy, and you earn a better life than this." With that he gently pulled the five-year old into his dark red robes and spoke the activating code to his emergency Portkey, "Lily."

もうすぐクリスマス

An instant later, the two figures arrived in the hospital wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey were having tea together, eagerly waiting for their youngest colleague to return from the mission, on which they had sent him.

_**(Flashback – one hour earlier)**_

Severus Snape impatiently paced the Healer's office, ignoring the pleading looks from his colleagues, Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey, who were sitting at the table, observing his every move.

"Please Severus, go and check on the child. Remember that it's Lily's child as well."

Severus' expression turned to a slight sneer. "Lily and Potter were your students. Why don't you go and check on the boy, if you're so concerned after what Arabella told you? Why would I be the one to go to the brat's home?"

"Because you're sneakier," Poppy threw in. "The Dursleys or even Albus would catch Minnie or me right away, because we're too stupid for such things, while we have full confidence that you manage to check on the boy without being recognised."

"Very well then. I'll be back shortly."

_**(End of flashback)**_

"Severus, is that you?" Poppy asked in disbelief, looking at the Santa like figure, who held a small child in his arms that seemed to be very ill. "Put him here on the first bed," she instructed her colleague, immediately turning into Healer's mode."

During the next hour, the Healer worked intensely on the small child, while Santa stood at his side, speaking to him in a soft voice to ease his anxiousness at the wand waving in front of him. Finally, Poppy unobtrusively spelled several potions into the boy's system that made him drift off into a much needed healing sleep.

While the child was peacefully asleep, the Hogwarts teachers put up a huge fight with their Headmaster, who only grudgingly agreed to allow the small boy to remain and grow up at the school, after the Healer presented him with sufficient evidence of the abuse and neglect the boy had suffered at his relatives' home.

もうすぐクリスマス

When Harry woke up, he noticed immediately that he felt much better. He lazily opened his eyes and saw that it was already dark. Only a few single torches lit the huge room, into which Santa had brought him. Santa was sitting on a chair next to his bed, reading an old looking book.

"Santa," Harry spoke in a small voice, "thank you so much for rescuing me."

"You're welcome, child," Santa replied kindly. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied gratefully. "Thank you for making me all better. Are we in the sky where you live?" he couldn't help asking in spite of knowing all too well that he wasn't allowed to ask questions.

"Well, even Santa doesn't reside in heaven all year long," the man replied carefully. "During the year, I live in the dungeons, and I don't wear red robes all year long."

Harry let out a small chuckle. "I think you're probably going to wear green robes. I like that. Green is my favourite colour too." Suddenly, the smile vanished from his small face, and he asked in a barely audible voice, "Will you take me back to my relatives, when you return to the dungeons, sir?"

"No Harry," Santa replied in a soft voice. "If you don't want to go back there, you may stay with me."

"I'd love that," Harry mumbled sadly, "but you'll notice soon that I'm a nuisance and a good for nothing burden and a freak."

"You're none of that, Harry. You're a very sweet child. Your Aunt Petunia always despised the magical world, and she calls you a freak because you're a wizard just like your mother and me." '_Oh Lily, where are you when I need you?_' he sighed inwardly. '_How can my colleagues assign me the task to raise your son? I don't think I'll be a good father_.'

Harry's expression lightened considerably. "Santa," he asked with excitement, "may I then wear the same green robes as you?"

"We'll see," the man said and motioned Harry to get up and come with him to the dungeons, changing their robes to dark green with a thin silver lining as they walked. He hesitantly accepted the small hand that slid itself into his own, larger one as he looked down into large green eyes that smiled at him like they had already done a decade ago.

"My first real Christmas," Harry sighed happily as they sat together on the sofa in front of the fireplace, looking at the Christmas tree, which the house-elves had hurriedly put up for them. He carefully opened the wrapping of his first Christmas present, pulling out a green stuffed dragon, which he happily cuddled close. "Thank you so much, Santa. I'm the happiest boy in the world."

"You don't have to call me Santa. You may call me Severus," Santa replied to the child, who from that time onwards told everyone how Severus Santa Snape had come to save him from his hateful relatives on Christmas day.

**The End**

_**Merry Christmas!**_


End file.
